Shadia Drury
Encyclopedia
Shadia B. Drury is a Canadian academic and political commentator of Egyptian
Arab Christian origin. She is Canada Research Chair in Social Justice
at the University of Regina
, in Regina
, the provincial capital of Saskatchewan
, Canada
. In 2005, she was elected to fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada
.
(BA Hons, MA), in Kingston, Ontario, and York University
(Ph.D., Political Science, 1978) in Toronto, Ontario. Her doctoral thesis was entitled The Concept of Natural Law.
Drury has taught Political Science and Philosophy
at two western Canadian universities: first at the University of Calgary
and now at the University of Regina
, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Social Justice. Her objective in the position is to undertake an extensive publishing program, which includes books on St. Thomas Aquinas's theory of justice
and its relation to the current Darwinian
trends, a critique of the rise of populism
in Canada, an analysis of the liberal
and conservative
approaches to tradition (Tradition and Taboo), and a book on the relationship between Western liberalism and the growth of radical feminism
.
Drury has stated her aim as an interdisciplinary social scientist
is to temper enthusiasm for social ideals and values that are taken too seriously and which thus threaten moderation and justice. In her opinion, when society starts to believe that its ideals and values are "worthy of every sacrifice, every hardship and every abomination", moderation and justice are threatened. Accordingly, much of her writing is aimed at a debunking of, or an attempt at critique of, extreme political views, as she sees them.
academics labeled Straussians, after the German born, Jewish-American political scientist, Leo Strauss
(1899–1973). She has not shied away from voicing a critical interpretation of Strauss' work, linking it to American right-wing public policy
. In print and on the airwaves she has stated that Straussians are a "cult" (CBC Radio, Michael Enright interview CBC Sunday Edition), a group of dangerous people who need to be exposed and analyzed not in terms of what they say, but what they do.
She has also received criticism as a result of her latest book where she examines "two equally arrogant and self-righteous civilizations confronting one another". In Terror and Civilization: Christianity, Politics, and the Western Psyche, Drury regards the contemporary political problem as "thoroughly Biblical." "Each (civilization) is convinced that it is on the side of God, truth and justice, while its enemy is allied with Satan, wickedness, and barbarism."
, a group of right-wing academics at the University of Calgary who have advised the Conservative Party
. She often compares American right-wing policy with the Alberta-bred Reform Party
-Canadian Alliance Party, one of the predecessors of the Conservative Party
formed through a merger between it and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
which has formed a minority government since 2006, with former Reform Party
MP Stephen Harper
as its leader and Prime Minister
.
Despite her efforts to link members of "the Calgary School" to Leo Strauss, they have dismissed the connection and have labeled her work "Strauss for morons".
Professor Drury's web page has a great number of links to her work, including many full text articles that are downloadable, as well as link to a CBC Radio interview. http://www.uregina.ca/arts/CRC/
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
Arab Christian origin. She is Canada Research Chair in Social Justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
at the University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
, in Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, the provincial capital of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 2005, she was elected to fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
.
Education and academic interests
Drury was educated at Queen's UniversityQueen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
(BA Hons, MA), in Kingston, Ontario, and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
(Ph.D., Political Science, 1978) in Toronto, Ontario. Her doctoral thesis was entitled The Concept of Natural Law.
Drury has taught Political Science and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at two western Canadian universities: first at the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
and now at the University of Regina
University of Regina
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a junior college in 1925, and was disaffiliated...
, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Social Justice. Her objective in the position is to undertake an extensive publishing program, which includes books on St. Thomas Aquinas's theory of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and its relation to the current Darwinian
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
trends, a critique of the rise of populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
in Canada, an analysis of the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
approaches to tradition (Tradition and Taboo), and a book on the relationship between Western liberalism and the growth of radical feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
.
Drury has stated her aim as an interdisciplinary social scientist
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
is to temper enthusiasm for social ideals and values that are taken too seriously and which thus threaten moderation and justice. In her opinion, when society starts to believe that its ideals and values are "worthy of every sacrifice, every hardship and every abomination", moderation and justice are threatened. Accordingly, much of her writing is aimed at a debunking of, or an attempt at critique of, extreme political views, as she sees them.
The Straussians
In Drury's opinion, contemporary society is threatened by a small school of AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academics labeled Straussians, after the German born, Jewish-American political scientist, Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss was a political philosopher and classicist who specialized in classical political philosophy. He was born in Germany to Jewish parents and later emigrated to the United States...
(1899–1973). She has not shied away from voicing a critical interpretation of Strauss' work, linking it to American right-wing public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
. In print and on the airwaves she has stated that Straussians are a "cult" (CBC Radio, Michael Enright interview CBC Sunday Edition), a group of dangerous people who need to be exposed and analyzed not in terms of what they say, but what they do.
Criticism
Several leading political philosophers consider Drury's attacks on Strauss and his followers to be unfounded. In his 2009 book, Straussophobia: Defending Leo Strauss and Straussians against Shadia Drury and Other Accusers, Peter Minowitz argues that Drury’s work is “plagued by exaggerations, misquotations, contradictions, factual errors, and defective documentation.” Thomas Pangle, former professor of political philosophy at Yale, has described Drury's writings on Strauss as simplistic, incompetent, and unscholarly.She has also received criticism as a result of her latest book where she examines "two equally arrogant and self-righteous civilizations confronting one another". In Terror and Civilization: Christianity, Politics, and the Western Psyche, Drury regards the contemporary political problem as "thoroughly Biblical." "Each (civilization) is convinced that it is on the side of God, truth and justice, while its enemy is allied with Satan, wickedness, and barbarism."
Calgary School
Drury has been active in publicly countering members of the Calgary SchoolCalgary School
The Calgary School is a name used to refer to a group of like-minded academics from the University of Calgary’s Political Science, Economics, and History departments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
, a group of right-wing academics at the University of Calgary who have advised the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. She often compares American right-wing policy with the Alberta-bred Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
-Canadian Alliance Party, one of the predecessors of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
formed through a merger between it and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
which has formed a minority government since 2006, with former Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
MP Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
as its leader and Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
.
Despite her efforts to link members of "the Calgary School" to Leo Strauss, they have dismissed the connection and have labeled her work "Strauss for morons".
List of works
- The Concept of Natural Law, Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 1978. Canadian Theses Division, National Library, OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canadiana: 790230615 - Law and Politics: Readings in Legal and Political Thought. Edited with introduction and essay by Shadia B. Drury ; associate editor, Rainer Knopff. CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
: Detselig, 1980. ISBN 0-920490-12-3 - The Political Ideas of Leo Strauss, Revised Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press,(originally published in 1988) 2005.
- Alexandre KojeveAlexandre KojèveAlexandre Kojève was a Russian-born French philosopher and statesman whose philosophical seminars had an immense influence on twentieth-century French philosophy, particularly via his integration of Hegelian concepts into continental philosophy...
: The Roots of Postmodern Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. 1994. ISBN 0-312-12092-3 - Leo Strauss and the American Right. Palgrave Macmillan. 1999. ISBN 0-312-21783-8
- Terror and Civilization: ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, PoliticsPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, and the Western Psyche. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004 ISBN 1-4039-6404-1
Professor Drury's web page has a great number of links to her work, including many full text articles that are downloadable, as well as link to a CBC Radio interview. http://www.uregina.ca/arts/CRC/
See also
- Political philosophyPolitical philosophyPolitical philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
- Straussian
- MachiavellianismMachiavellianismMachiavellianism is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe and other works...
- Machiavellianism
- NeoconservatismNeoconservatismNeoconservatism in the United States is a branch of American conservatism. Since 2001, neoconservatism has been associated with democracy promotion, that is with assisting movements for democracy, in some cases by economic sanctions or military action....
- Clash of CivilizationsClash of CivilizationsThe Clash of Civilizations is a theory, proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington, that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world....
External links
- Official website
- Shadia Drury: Leo Strauss and the American Right, On Point radio show. May 15, 2003.
- Matthew Rothschild. Shadia Drury interview: Political Ideas of Leo Strauss, Progressive Radio, 2005.
- The New Machiavelli: Leo Strauss and the Politics of Fear, CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, April 27, 2005. - Shadia Drury. Leo Strauss and the Grand Inquisitor, Free Inquiry magazine, June 2004.
- Shadia Drury. Leo Strauss and the neoconservatives, Evatt Foundation, September 11, 2004.
- Shadia Drury, "Gurus of Endless War", New HumanistNew HumanistNew Humanist is a monthly magazine published by the Rationalist Association in the UK. It has been in print for 125 years; starting out life as Watts's Literary Guide, founded by C. A. Watts in November 1885....
, May/June 2007 - Thom Hartmann. Book: Leo Strauss and the American Right, by Shadia Drury, Buzz Flash, August 4, 2005.
- Michael Doliner. Book Review: Leo Strauss and the American Right, Swans.com, October 10, 2005.
- "Strauss and the Straussians" conservative criticism of Strauss by Professor Paul Gottfried.
- "Leo Strauss and History" conservative criticism of Strauss by Professor Claes G. Ryn.